‘The River,’ Series Premiere, ‘Magus; Marbeley’: TV Recap

Steven Spielberg’s imprint is on network TV this week, first with the premiere of "Smash" on NBC last night and "The River" tonight on ABC with a special two-hour season premiere. The show, produced by "Paranormal Activity" director Oren Pelli, delivers on the creepy horror and unsettling camera shots and lives up to the hype.

The pilot opens with clips of charismatic explorer and naturalist Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) declaring "There’s magic out there," his signature line as he exults over new discoveries on his long-running TV show, "The Undiscovered Country." Fast forward to the present. Cole and his crew are declared dead after they’ve mysteriously gone missing for six months following an expedition on the Amazon on the boat The Magus. Cole’s estranged son Lincoln (Joe Anderson) delivers a eulogy. Cole’s wife, Tess (Leslie Hope), doesn’t give up, telling Lincoln that Cole’s personal beacon was found and a network is funding a search-and-rescue mission as long as the trip can be filmed documentary style and the camera crew gets "full and unfettered access" to mother and son. Read More...